---

Neste has confirmed that it will begin supplying low-sulphur bunker fuel in Sweden from its Sodertalje terminal - located around 30 kilometres southwest of Stockholm - on 1st January 2017.

The supply operation is to primarily serve the Stockholm area, but will also be able to distribute low-sulphur bunker fuel to other locations on the east coast of Sweden, Neste said on Thursday.

"We are extremely happy to open low-sulfur bunker fuel distribution services in Sweden at the turn of the year. To us, this means expanding the market area of marine fuels, and we will also continue to survey new markets in Northern Europe. Our marine fuels are a good solution to reduce sulfur emissions and meet the tightening regulations, and using them requires hardly any investments or modifications to the vessels," commented Matti Lehmus, Executive Vice President, Oil Products at Neste.

According to current regulations, ships operating within the Emission Control Area (ECA) of the Baltic Sea, North Sea and the English Channel are required to burn fuel with a maximum sulphur content of 0.1 percent. Neste is currently offering two products with sulphur levels below 0.1 percent: a DMA-specification marine diesel oil (MDO) named Neste MDO DMB, and an RMB-specification bunker fuel called Neste RMB.

In Sweden, Neste will be supplying Neste RMB via tank trucks.

Commenting Neste's commitment to customer service, Lehmus said: "High-quality customer service is a major source of pride to us, and we ensure reliable deliveries by managing the entire product value chain from production to distribution. Neste is a forerunner in cleaner traffic fuels, and low-sulfur bunker fuels are an excellent fit in our portfolio."

Specifications for Neste RMB:

- Based on ISO 8217:2012
- Viscosity, 50C: 8-12 mm2/s
- Storage temperature requirement +40C
- Pour point: Max +30C
- No heavy residual
- FAME-free product

In June, Bunker Index reported that Neste had provided the Scripps Institute of Oceanography at the University of California with a supply of a newly established biodiesel - a hydrogenation-derived renewable diesel (HDRD) called Neste Renewable Diesel (formerly NEXBTL Renewable Diesel) - during a year-long project that tested biofuel on the research vessel Robert Gordon Sproul.

Also in June, Neste said that the new solvent deasphalting (SDA) unit at its Porvoo Refinery will enable the firm to produce a heavier product with a sulphur content of under 0.1 percent. This new 'RMG-type product' is expected to be launched towards the end of 2017.